On Land Day, we affirm the unity of Palestinian land, people and full rights

A statement issued by the Union of Palestinian Communities and Organizations – Europe

On this Land Day, we affirm:

We uphold the unity of our land, our people and our full national rightsWe reject the convening of a session of the Palestinian National Council under occupationYes to a unified National Council that will reassert and rebuild the national resistance project

In light of the rapid political developments in occupied Palestine and the regio and the determination of the monopolistic leadership of the PLO to convene a session of the Palestinian National Council in occupied Ramallah, and on the occasion of the immortal Land Day, we in the Union of Palestinian Communities and Institutions – Europe reaffirm our position on the unity of the Palestinian people and the land of Palestine. We call upon the masses of our Palestinian people in the homeland and in diaspora, especially in Europe, together with the Arab communities and the friends of our people everywhere, to engage in broad popular participation in the defense of the Palestinian cause and supporting the events being organized for Land Day, including participating in the Great Return Marches in the occupied homeland and in diaspora. Today, our Union joins every Palestinian national voice calling for confrontation of the American-Zionist reactionary project aimed at the liquidation of the Palestinian cause through the so-called “Deal of the Century” and the daily Zionist actions and policies on the ground.

All national forces and figures must today take up their responsibilities and express their commitment to national unity by rejecting the convening of a session of the Palestinian National Council under occupation in Ramallah. This irresponsible step aims at reproducing an ongoing destructive approach and only consolidates division, disintegration and fragmentation of the Palestinian cause. It comes only in response to the interests of the monopolistic “leadership” and does not meet or respond to the desire and will of the Palestinian people to achieve unity, nor to the popular demand to hold a unified session of the Palestinian National Council outside Palestine with the participation of all forces. This unified National Council constitutes a national democratic approach to restore popular unity and a democratic path to our national liberation movement in order to rebuild the Palestinian national resistance project.

The Union of Palestinian Communities and Organizations – Europe calls for non-participation in the session of the Palestinian National Council to be held in occupied Ramallah. Any Palestinian figure participating in this Council, whether intentionally or in good faith, shall contribute to the dismantling of the Palestinian national consensus program. It does not reflect the interests and rights of our Palestinian communities and undermines the goals and aspirations of all of our people to return, liberation, self-determination and the establishment of the State of Palestine on the entire land of Palestine with Jerusalem as its capital.

Finally, we call upon the PLO’s monopolistic leadership to immediately reverse its covert and overt efforts to convene this session – already a failure in advance – in violation of the will of our people, the Palestinian resistance forces and their popular movements and sacrifices throughout Palestine and the diaspora.

Long live Land Day! Glory to the martyrs and freedom to the prisoners. There is no alternative to unity that preserves our national rights and principles!

Union of Palestinian Communities and Institutions – Europe30 March 2018